1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for recording digital to multimedia, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for buffering a received multimedia service, managing a buffering status, and reproducing or recording the multimedia service.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital multimedia reproduction and recording systems use buffering when receiving a multimedia service in order to realize a time shill mode and a background mode. Since a multimedia service is buffered, stored, and processed, a result of processing the multimedia service is determined based on a buffering status of the multimedia service.
FIG. 1A is a dataflow diagram of a buffering mechanism of a recording controller 110 and a service receiver 120 during a time shift mode in a conventional OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP) digital video recording system 100.
Referring to FIG. 1A, the conventional OCAP digital video recording system 100 registers a time shift event listener in order to determine whether the recording controller 110 changes a buffering status in the time shift mode in step 130. The recording controller 110 instructs the service receiver 120 to start buffering with regard to the time shift mode in step 140. The service receiver 120 transmits time shill event information to the recording controller 110 in step 150.
The time shift event information includes information about whether a multimedia service provided in the time shift mode is buffered, whether the buffering is detected, and whether a basic property of the time shift mode is changed. The time shift event information may confirm whether buffering with regard to the time shill mode starts or ends.
FIG. 1B is a dataflow diagram of a buffering mechanism of the recording controller 110 and the service receiver 120 during a background mode in the conventional OCAP digital video recording system 100.
Referring to FIG. 1B, the time shift event information includes information about buffering with regard to the time shift mode, not with regard to the background mode. Since the recording controller 110 of the conventional OCAP digital video recording system 100 registers an event listener regarding buffering with regard to the time shift mode in step 130. although the recording controller 110 instructs the service receiver 120 to start buffering with regard to the background mode in step 160, the service receiver 120 has no response to start to buffering with regard to the background mode in step 170. Therefore, information about a buffering status, such as starting or ending of buffering with regard to the background mode, may not be confirmed.
FIG. 2 is a dataflow diagram of a buffering request list mechanism of the recording controller 110 and the service receiver 120 in the conventional OCAP digital video recording system 100.
Referring to FIG. 2, the recording controller 110 of the conventional OCAP digital video recording system 100 may send a request to the service receiver 120 for a buffering request list of a multimedia service for which a buffering start request is made in order to determine whether buffering has started in step 210. The service receiver 120 may provide the recording controller 120 with the buffering request list in step 220.
If the buffering start request with regard to the background mode was made, since such a fact is described in the buffering request list, the buffering start request with regard to the background mode may be confirmed. However, information about whether buffering with regard to the background mode has started or not may not be confirmed. Therefore, lithe buffering start request is made or a buffering event occurs when buffering with regard to the background mode has not started, the buffering start request or the buffering event may not be processed.